Refresh Your Coaching Practice Series (01): Introducing the Thrive Model: Growing a Thriving Coaching Culture 2025

This #coachbetter episode is another in our series of coaching case studies, with one of our amazing The Coach graduates, Nicola Milward.  These case study episodes are designed to share the story of a coach, and the development of their coaching program and practice in their unique setting. At the time of recording, Nicola was Instructional Coach at IPS Hilversum, the Netherlands and she had just graduated from The Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program. In this episode Kim and Nicola talk about how Nicola built the coaching program at her school from scratch - starting with pitching the position of instructional coach, all the way through multiple years of implementation. They talk about what coaching looked like when it first started, how it changed over time, what challenges she faced, and her “aha’ moments in her coaching practice and in The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program. Find the show notes for this episode here.

23 Tammi 20241h 2min

In this #coachbetter video, Diana talks about the Essential Conditions for Instructional Coaching to be successful. This episode is so powerful because the success of instructional coaching as a program or a culture goes well beyond what one individual coach can do. As experienced coaches, we need to look at the bigger picture of the culture of the school to see what might be supporting or hindering the success of building the coaching program. Diana will share some specific prompts to help you think about which of these conditions your school already has - and the ones you might need to work on developing. Find the show notes for this episode here.

16 Tammi 202412min

This is a very special #coachbetter episode! This is the podcast launch party for Kim and Christina's new book: Finding Your Path as a Woman in School Leadership: A Guide for Educators, Allies, and Advocates.  Kim and Christina are interviewed by four of their early readers of the book: Alexandra Gustad, Rania Saeb, Sarah Plews, and Uzay Ashton, all amazing educational leaders in their own right. These four women, along with their other early readers (they had 15 readers of the book before they submitted their manuscript) gave them vital feedback and encouragement along the path of completing the book. Kim and Christina are so grateful to all of their readers, editors, and supporters as they completed this project over the last year.  In this episode they are sharing some of the behind-the-scenes stories of writing the book, what readers can expect to get out of the book, and their hopes as they put this work out into the world! Find the show notes for this episode here.

9 Tammi 202444min

In this #coachbetter episode, Kim talks with Cary Hart and Paula Plaza-Ponte, both experienced coaches and members of The Coach Alumni group They chat about the challenges that coaches go through as they “level up” in their career. We tend to focus a lot on the needs of new coaches, or the process of building a coaching culture. This episode is about what the journey is like once you're an experienced coach. They talk about the unexpected challenges, the ways that coaches often lack support in their schools, and the importance of honoring self-care, process time, and potentially a pivot away from schools as you navigate the “messy middle” of a coaching journey.  Find the show notes for this episode here.

12 Joulu 20231h 31min

In this #coachbetter episode, we have another episode in our new special series, #coachbetter celebrations. To celebrate our 5 years of the podcast (and over 200 episodes), each month we’re highlighting a short clip from one of our favorite episodes from a previous season.  This episode features our mentors from The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program, Diana, Maggie and Kristen, talking about the ways that experienced coaches can continue to #coachbetter and take their coaching skills to the next level. We're resharing this clip from the conversation because sometimes, as experienced coaches, we’re not actually sure what we need to do to develop our practice. We can be so close to the work we’re doing that we can’t see the big picture. Find the show notes for this episode here.

5 Joulu 202315min

In this #coachbetter episode, Kim talks with Carla Marschall, Director of Dresden International School in Germany.  Carla brings a systems-thinking view to everything she does, and the implementation of coaching in her school is no exception. On this call, they talk about how Carla is working to create a coaching culture, communicate the vision, put structures and policies in place to make it successful, and why coaching is so essential in our schools.  This episode is full of big picture thinking about how to develop a coaching program from scratch. If you are curious about the systems and structures that make coaching successful, this episode is for you! Find the show notes for this episode here.

28 Marras 202345min

In this #coachbetter episode, Kristen Moreland is sharing A More Human Approach to Leadership. If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you know we believe coaches are leaders in their community. We might not have the formal title of leader, but we are fulfilling many informal leadership roles in our work as coaches. In this episode, Kristen invites you to explore the ways that you can elevate your leadership in your work as a coach, every day! Find the show notes for this episode here.

21 Marras 202310min

This #coachbetter episode is part of our special series featuring real-life coaching conversations. This conversation was with one of Kim's amazing clients, Marcie Lewis, who, at the time of recording, was in the global cohort of The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program. HUGE thank you to Marcie for being willing to record this session to share with all of you! Marcie is a PYP (Primary Years Programme) Coordinator in her school and she wants to bring more of a coaching lens to the role. In this conversation, Kim and Marcie are focusing on how to broaden the scope of her role to include more coaching conversations around teaching and learning - and less around PYP documentation and accountability. Find the show notes for this episode here.

14 Marras 20231h 7min